Two AM
by mustlovecat
Summary: A post-ep for 1.13 Takedown. Still high on adrenaline after the undercover op, Sam heads out for a run, and where his feet take him should come as no surprise.


**A/N **I am not new to – I have been over at the CSI:NY board for years. However, I fell in love with _Rookie Blue_ – and Sam and Andy – this summer, and have been a quiet lurker here for the past few months. I should be working on my CSI:NY epic (in which Sam made a guest appearance in the last chapter), but decided to toss my hat in the ring after being inspired by the great writers here and offer my own little one-shot. Consider it a post-ep to 1.13 _Takedown_. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing related to _Rookie Blue_, ABC or GlobalTv. I'm just borrowing the characters for my own amusement.

Sam had been a cop long enough to know it would be foolish to even try to sleep tonight. The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins, the events of the evening still reverberating through his mind. So after a few drinks at the Penny with his new friend, Boyd, along with Jerry and Shaw, he headed home alone, walked through the front door, threw down his keys and headed straight to his bedroom to strip off his clothes. But instead of heading for a shower or falling into bed, he pulled on a pair of tearaways, a t-shirt and an old Toronto Police Services hoodie to fight against the chill of the night, and he headed back out the door.

It was late. The streets were empty. Only the sound of his footfalls, the occasional car, and the odd dog barking could be heard as he ran through the residential neighbourhood in the West end. If anyone glanced out their window and saw him, clad all in navy blue – which could very well be black in the darkness of the hour – and running through Toronto at two in the morning, they would probably call the police. He found himself smirking at the picture of a young upstart like Epstein pulling up beside him in a cruiser and asking for his ID.

Running usually helped him clear his head, but tonight, it was a form of transportation. And even if he did not know it consciously, he really was not surprised when he realized what street he was on. He was not sure though what he was hoping to find. A light on? Or all the lights off? If it was dark, did that mean she had managed to find the sleep that was eluding him, or did it mean she was in bed but _not_ sleeping...? He quickly chased _that_ image from his mind.

"_He doesn't need to be here. But he is_. _For _you_._" Jesus. His masochism had really reached new heights. Apparently telling McNally weeks ago what a great guy Callaghan was, and telling Callaghan what an idiot _he_ was, wasn't good enough. Why did he keep insisting on selling that relationship to its own participants? Or worse, constantly removing himself from the equation? Was it any wonder that she had removed _herself_? If she had ever thought he was interested, he had done pretty much everything in his power since the night of the blackout to prove her wrong.

Well, until a few hours ago. _"Callaghan's not the only one who's got your back." _The kiss. It helped the charade, sure, but it certainly was not a fundamental requirement of the op. So, maybe he had not completely taken his hat out of the ring. Of course, he had thought he might never see her again at the time. And he would be damned if he went to his grave without feeling her lips, her tongue against his, the soft skin of her cheek against his fingertips, ever again.

He narrowed his eyes then. Before he could glance up to check out the light situation in her apartment, he noticed the shadow on the front stairs of the building. He saw the form straighten up as he neared¸ and he furrowed his eyebrows. "It's not the worst neighbourhood in the city, but it's probably not the best idea to be out here alone in the middle of the night," he said as he came to a stop at the bottom of the steps.

"I think we both know I can take care of myself," she replied with a slight roll of her eyes. "Something happen to that unwavering belief in me you had earlier?"

Sam leaned against the railing, a grin tugging on one corner of his mouth. However, he did not respond, instead letting silence envelope them as he took a moment to catch his breath. He took in her appearance – jeans, a white t-shirt under a comfortable looking grey cardigan, flip-flops. Not the exotic dancer get-up that had hugged her frame earlier. Her hair was pulled back, her face free of the heavy make-up she'd had on before, make-up she certainly did not need. "You okay?" he finally asked.

She nodded.

"What exactly happened after I left the Mermaid? I know you were the one that told the team I was about to be made, but how'd you figure it out?"

Andy took a breath, chewing on her lip. If she told him the truth, he was going to be whatever surpassed livid.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "McNally..." he pushed, drawing out her name pointedly.

She sighed. "Ricky let it slip that the Landrys were in town. I knew as soon as they saw you, it would be all over, you'd be dead. I couldn't let that happen, so I..." she trailed off, shrugging a little.

"You _what_, Andy?"

"You're safe. I'm safe. It's over. The biggest drug bust of the Fifteen's history. That's all the matters."

"Not if you put yourself in unnecessary danger for me."

"Partners, Sam. We back each other up, no matter what. _Your_ words," she reminded him.

He crossed his arms over his chest and appraised her. "Ricky have his gun on you?"

"Sam..."

"Just answer the question."

After another moment of hesitation, she finally nodded slowly.

"Jesus."

"You would have done the same thing." She stood up then, coming down the two steps until she was on the one right above him. She leaned her hip against the railing and crossed her own arms over her chest, some defiance in her stance. "You are the king of double standards, you know that? I do exactly what you would do, but you're mad. You tell me I've come a long way, but you still don't believe I can do this, do you?"

"I have every confidence in your abilities as a cop, McNally. Doesn't mean I have to like you putting your life on the line to save my ass. Now, what the hell are you doing out here? Where's Callaghan?" He almost cringed in anticipation of her response.

However, the "he's sleeping upstairs" he was expecting didn't come. Instead, Andy took another deep breath. "At home, I guess."

"You guess? You guys looked pretty cozy outside the warehouse."

She quirked an eyebrow.

Sam sighed. "Sorry. None of my business."

Andy bit her lip for a moment, looking down at her hands that were fidgeting with one of the buttons on her sweater. Finally, she looked back at him. "Luke wants to buy a house up on the ravine, and he asked me to move in with him. I said yes."

One distinct advantage of his years as a cop – and definitely his participation in undercover ops – was the ability to mask just about everything he did not want to reveal. No matter how hard Andy may have looked at him then, she would not have seen the disappointment and resignation he was suddenly feeling. That kiss really had been a kiss goodbye. Just not the way he had thought at the time. "That's a big step," he finally said, his tone not betraying an opinion either way.

She nodded slowly. "It is. And the more I think about what went down tonight, I'm not so sure anymore. What if I'm still faking?"

"Only you can answer that, Andy," he replied. However, her uncertainty in itself seemed to answer her question. "Only you know what you really want."

His use of her first name unnerved her a little. It was like when she was a child and her father called her _Andrea_. Usually it meant she was either in trouble, or she really needed to hear what he was saying.

"Look, you don't need to figure it all out tonight. It's late, you just had one of the most intense nights you've had as a cop...Probably not the best time to be making big, life-altering decisions. But there's a couple things you should know." He squared his stance a little as he looked at her seriously. "One, you've got options. Just 'cause you said yes doesn't mean it's a done deal. And two...I know for a fact you've never been faking it with me."

Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly at the implication of what he had just said, but he noticed. And it was difficult for him not to smirk as she realized he was calling her on the fact that she had kissed him back tonight at the Mermaid Lounge.

He hesitated for a second. He knew he should go. Staying any longer could mean complicating things, and he did not need reminding about how long it had taken them to recover from the last time things got complicated. However, looking at her standing there with so much uncertainty on her face, so vulnerable, his feet were cemented to the ground.

"I just want to do the right thing," Andy finally admitted.

Sam nodded. "And that's honourable. But you'll never be happy if you don't do what right for _you_, and not what you think is right for everyone else."

She tilted her head, considering his words.

"Look, Andy, I got some age on you, a world of experience...but I can't tell you what to do. But I know this: tonight, you were in your element. You were good in there. So whatever you do, make sure nothing holds you back from being _that _woman and _that_ cop." He watched her then as she seemed to contemplate what he had said. "You want to go for a walk?"

"No." She stepped down onto the same step he was standing on, virtually closing the remaining distance between them. "When you kissed me earlier..."

He licked his lips, his gaze drifting down to hers before meeting her eyes again. "Yeah?"

"Was that Gabe kissing Edie, or Sam kissing Andy?"

"You sure you really want me to answer that?"

She nodded very slowly, her breath hitching a little at both his proximity and the look in his eyes.

"You think I was gonna blow the chance when it was right there in front of me?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

She released the breath she had been holding. "I, uh – I'm glad you're okay."

"Andy..."

"No. If we're going to cross that line, we're going to do it right this time. I'm still with Luke. I'm not – There's not going to be any more misunderstandings or miscommunication. I'll talk to him tomorrow. Then maybe we could –"

"Dinner?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

He appraised her for a minute, before he finally took a step back. "I guess I should finish my run."

"And I should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"You sure about this?"

Andy nodded, more conviction in her face than Sam had seen for a while. "Deal's not done."

He smirked. "See you in the morning, McNally."


End file.
